Results show that a greater late-night preference predicted a greater likelihood of any cannabis use the following year.
For further analysis, the sample was stratified into two groups: middle school/high school students .
“Overall, the results suggest that teens in middle and high school may be more vulnerable to sleep-related risk for substance use,” said lead author Brant P.
Results were controlled for factors such as age, sex, race, parental education, and previous year’s substance use.
“Sleep is modifiable behavior, and perhaps easier to modify than going after substance use directly,” said Hasler.
CDC data show that only 25% of students in grades 9 through 12 get sufficient sleep on an average school night, and early school start times are one factor associated with insufficient sleep in teens.
The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented as an oral presentation on Friday, June 11, during Virtual SLEEP 2021.